8 Wagashi Spots in Shinjuku to Savor the Seasons! Enjoy Artisan Sweets to Your Heart's Content

The predecessor of nananrica tokyo was founded in 1834 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, as Ishikawaya Honpo in the late Edo period.
After moving its base to Shinjuku, it has continued to preserve the traditions of wagashi for more than 184 years.
Carrying on that long-established legacy, nananrica tokyo opened in 2017.
Shichirika takes its name from jinchoge (daphne), which is said to carry its fragrance far into the distance.
Its fresh wagashi that express the beauty of Japan’s four seasons have become especially popular.
With motifs such as autumn leaves in fall and snow crystals in winter, each piece captures the feeling of the seasons as they change.
Using ingredients carefully selected by the owner, the sweets are meticulously crafted in the workshop attached to the shop.

Shinjuku Oiwake Dango Honpo is a long-established wagashi shop founded in 1948.
Its signature dango and seasonal wagashi are carefully handmade every day using high-quality ingredients.
In the cafe space that treasures a traditional atmosphere, you can enjoy seasonal sweets alongside fragrant Japanese tea.
The recommended “Inaka Koji” is a luxurious set that lets you enjoy mitarashi dango, anmitsu, and inaka shiruko all at once.
With its gentle flavors, it brings a comforting sense of nostalgia.
The refined sweetness of the bean paste, which subtly highlights the fruit, is exquisite.
Take your time savoring the elegant sweetness further enhanced by the salty accent of shiokonbu.

Restaurant Yurinoki tsuburano is a dining spot with its Honten in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
At its location inside Shinjuku Gyoen, you can enjoy a meal while looking out over the garden spread before you.
Among its wide range of meal options, the one you should especially try is the “Hand-Kneaded Warabimochi.”
Made by hand-kneading pure warabi starch in the shop, the warabimochi comes in three varieties: “Mizu Warabi,” “Matcha Warabi,” and “Kokuto Hojicha Warabi.”
With a smooth mouthfeel and refined flavor, it pairs perfectly with kuromitsu syrup and kinako.
This is the only place you can enjoy it outside the Honten in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
Why not stop by during a stroll through Shinjuku Gyoen?

Kanten Kobo Sanukiya, a long-established wagashi shop founded in 1913, stands along the Kanda River.
It began when the first owner, who moved to Tokyo from Kagawa Prefecture, recreated tokoroten (agar jelly).
For many years, it has continued to offer additive-free agar that values the aroma of tengusa seaweed harvested in the Izu area.
The popular “Koshi-an Anmitsu” is a classic item that lets you enjoy a traditional taste.
The generously cut agar delivers a firm texture and rich aroma.
Its balance is also excellent, with gentle bean paste and kuromitsu syrup that bring out the agar’s natural flavor, plus gyuhi (soft mochi) with a chewy, springy bite.
Be sure to try the carefully crafted agar made by skilled artisans in the company’s own factory.

TOKIYA is located on the 1st floor of Odakyu HALC, about a 1-minute walk from Shinjuku Station’s West Exit.
It is a sweets shop known for its large dorayaki that has been loved for more than 76 years, dating back to the Showa era (1926-1989).
It sells dorayaki in a variety of sizes, from small and medium to large and extra-large.
In particular, the “Naka Dorayaki” is said to have been the model for a dorayaki that appears in a famous manga.
Its lightly sweet batter is filled generously with homemade, sweet chunky bean paste.
Enjoying it with matcha in the retro interior that still retains a Showa atmosphere is especially recommended.

Okashitsukasa Aoyagi is a long-established wagashi shop once frequented by manga artist Osamu Tezuka.
Its specialty is a chestnut manju called “Kuriman Atom / Uran-chan,” featuring characters from the famous series “Astro Boy.”
The product was created because Tezuka Productions is located in Takadanobaba, Shinjuku City.
“Kuriman Atom” contains smooth bean paste with coarsely chopped chestnuts, while “Uran-chan” is filled with a smooth wasanbon-style bean paste.
It is a perfect Shinjuku souvenir.

Wagashi-dokoro OHSUMI TAMAYA Honten was founded in 1912.
Its “ICHIGO MAME DAIFUKU,” first released in 1985, became hugely popular, and the shop has since been cherished by many as the birthplace of the sweet.
A defining feature is its rich chunky bean paste made with specially selected azuki beans from Hokkaido.
The azuki beans, cooked specifically for daifuku, offer an elegant sweetness that pairs beautifully with large, sweet-tart strawberries.
The traditionally pounded mochi goes perfectly with the salty accent of red peas, leaving a clean aftertaste.
The grainy texture and springy bite highlight the presence of each ingredient.
From January through early May, a version also appears featuring pink mochi wrapped around smooth bean paste.
Be sure to try the luxurious “Original ICHIGO MAME DAIFUKU®,” a favorite loved across generations.

Kagurazaka Isuzu is a beloved shop that has long been cherished near Zenkokuji Temple.
It is a wagashi shop bustling every day with everyone from locals to tourists.
Its signature items include kanro amanatto and other refined wagashi.
Among them, the “Kagurazaka Manju,” with packaging that depicts Kagurazaka’s stone-paved streets, is cherished as a classic Kagurazaka souvenir.
Its homemade pie crust offers a crisp, fragrant bite.
With a bite of the bean paste packed inside the pie, a refined sweetness spreads throughout your mouth.
It comes in two varieties: “Ogura,” moist with raisins, and “Kurumi,” white bean paste with roasted walnuts.
It is also recommended not only with Japanese tea, but with black tea or coffee as well.